Support for overhead electric conductors



\ (No Model.) 1 M. HANFORD.

SUPPORT'FOE OVERHEAD ELECTRIC OONDUGTORS. No. 545,495. Patented Sept. 3', 1895.

liven/6a UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELANOTHON HANFORD, OF MALDEN, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES J. QOODlVIN,

OF SPRINGFIELD,

MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,495, dated September 3, 1895.

Application filed April 25, 1894.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, MELANCTHON HANFORD,

of Malden, county of Middlesex, State of Mas-' sachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Supports for Overhead Electric Conductors, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings rep.- resenting like parts.

This invention relates to overhead'clectric conductors, its object being to provide means for preventing accidents due to the breakage of such conductors when charged with current, especially in cases-where the conductors form one side of the circuit while the'ground forms the other side, so that the broken conductor is liable to be'short-circuited through an object-as the body of a person or an animalwith which it comes in contact, thus sometimes causing fatal accidents.

The invention is specially adapted for use with the overhead conductor or trolley-wire, as it is called, commonly used in overhead systems of electric railways, through which accidents of the kind above described have frequently happened. As commonly constructed, the trolley-wire of an electricrailway consists of a continuous line of copper wire suspended over the track and supported at points sufficiently near together to keep the wire substantially horizontal. The wire thus forms a continuous electric conductor, charged with electricity throughout its entire length, so that if it accidentally becomes broken or is purposely severed at any point between the supports the severed ends fall to the ground charged with current. It has been proposed to obviate the danger due to this by dividing the trolley-wire into sections, each of said sections extending only from one supporting-point to the next, and so arranging the supports for the wirethat when a break occurs in any of the sections the ends thereof become electrically disconnected from the remaining intact sections, so that the wire in the broken section is no longer charged with current and is incapable of doing damage.

Thepresent invention consists, mainly, in animproved form of coupling device at the points of suspension whereby the ends of each section are mechanically connected to Serial No. 508,935. (No model.)

the support and electrically connected to the end of the section next adjacent, so as to form, when all of the sections are properly suspended, a continuous conductor. The said coupling, however, is so arranged that its mechanical connection with the support, upon which, of course, depends its; electrical connection with adjacent sections of conductor, is dependent upon the position of the conductor, so that the members .of the coupling are held in firm engagement with each other by the weight or strain of the wire when in its horizontal position, but are automatically uncoupled when the Wire moves from the said horizontal position toward a vertical position-as when it becomes broken or otherwise severedso that the free ends fall to the ground. The coupling embodyingtheinvenlion consists of two members, which may for convenience be called the supporting member and the supported member, respect- .ively, the former being connected to and insulated from any of the suspending devices such as brackets or cross-wires-commonly employed for this purpose, while the latter is connected to the end of the section of wire to be supported, so that the said section is connected to the suspender through the coup-- ling. The supporting member comprises a supporting-surface adapted to be engaged by a corresponding surface on the supported member, the latter surface being securely seated on the former by the longitudinal strain of the wire-when suspended. A supplementary engaging surface in the nature of a guide or detent,cooperating with a corresponding surface on the supported member, is provided and so arranged that as the wire moves from the horizontal toward the vertical position carrying with it the supported member, the movement of the said supported member is guided or determined by the said detent, the member itself preferably turning on it as a pivot,-and the supporting-surface of said memher is so' arranged as to be carried away from the supporting-surface of the supporting member, so that the former becomes disconnected and falls, the section of wire to which it is connected being thus mechanically and consequently electrically disconnected from the remainder of the line, which is left intact,

so that the whole of the broken section falls to the ground entirely separated from the rest of the line and consequently not charged with current and incapable of doing any harm.

Figure l is a side elevation of the hanger and couplings at the end thereof for the adjacent conductor-sections. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one end thereof, showing the supported member of the coupling coupled therewith, and also in dotted lines, in aposition to be'uncoupled. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the supporting member of the coupling by itself; Fig. 4, an end elevation of the same with the supported member connected thereto; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the socket of the supporting coupling member, showing the end of the transverse guidesurface. Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively side and end elevations of a modified form of coupling, and Fig. 8 a further modification in elevation.

The hanger or support a, to which are coupled two adjacent sections of the conductor or trolley-wire 1), consists, preferably, of a single piece of flat cast metal, provided nearthe niiddlewith an upwardly-extending pedestal a adapted to be connected in any suitable way to an ordinaryinsulator suspended from a cross-wire or bracket, while its lower edge is substantially straight and adapted to register with the supported member of the coupling, so as to form a continuous path for the trolley as it passes the supporting-point, the said hanger also forming a conductor for the current between adjacent sections of wire. At each end of the said casting are upwardlyextending ears or lugs a bent over, as best shown in Fig. 3, so that the downward extension (t forms, with the main portion of the ear, a socket open at the sides and bottom, the said socket forming the main part of the supporting member of the coupling and affording the lateral support for the supported member, which is adapted to be inserted in said socket, as will be hereinafter described.

In the construction shown in Figs 1 to 4, which is the preferred construction, the'downward extension a is provided with a longitudinal slot a extending upward from the bottom thereof, the extension at one side of said slot being longer than that on the other side and provided at its inner edge with a recessed portion a, forming the supportingsurface to be engaged by the supported memher 0, the surface of the said recess being on the inner edge of the socket while the wire I), when in its horizontal position, is perpendicular thereto, so that the strain of the said wire will force the connector-piece firmly into engagement with the said supporting-surface.

' The guiding-surface or detent consists, preferably, of a transverse extension-such as a mutilated or flattened bolt a extending across the upper portion of the socket formed by the lugs a and their downward extensions (t the said bolt being either integral with the supporting member or secured in the slot a and a similar slot a in the upward extension a directly opposite the said slot a. the said bolt is flattened in crosssection, as best shown in Fig. 2, while the ends thereof which fit the slots are rectangular, so that when the bolt is in position in the slots it is prevented from turning, so that the flattened portion of the bolt will bearthe proper relation to the other parts, while the bolt is retained in the proper vertical position bymeans of nuts a fitting into recesses (1 Fig. 5, upon the outside of the extensions a and a respectively, adapted to receive them.

The supported member of the clampingdevice, which is adapted to co-operate with the supporting member above described, consists of an angular piece of metal, which may be of any desired general shape, but which has a longitudinal flat extension 0 the lower edge of which is substantially straight and in line with the trolley-wire 1), adapted to be secured to said wire by means of solder or otherwise, and an upward extension 0 at the end of which is the guide-surface, which is, preferably, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4:, a hook 0 the inner surface of the hook forming the guide.- surface adapted to partially surround the bolt 0. and fit closely thereon, the width of the mouth of the said hook being substantially equal to the thickness of the flattened portion of the bolt, so as to admit of its slipping on or off the said bolt when in line with the flattened portion thereof, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. Upon the side of the said casting 0,

One side of' between the hook and the longitudinal extension 0 is a laterally-projecting lug 0 adapted to engage with the supporting-surface a of the supporting member above described when the said longitudinal extension 0 of the supported member is in line with the. lower sur- .face of the hanger a, as shown in Fig. 1, the

said hanger being suspended in a substantially horizontal position, so that a continuous track for the overhead contact device or trolley is thus afforded.

In order to couple the two members together, the mouth of the hook c is placed opposite the edge of the flattened bolt and slipped over the same into the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the longitudinal extension 0 being depressed from its horizontal position. As the longitudinal extension is lifted toward a horizontal position, the whole supporting member 0 turns on the bolt a as a pivot, the surface thereof affording a bearing for the inner surface of the hook until the extension 0 comes in contact with the supporting-surface a", it being positively guided thereto by the guiding connection. The trolley-wire may then be connected to the said supporting member in any suitable way, preferably by soldering or otherwise securing it in the longitudinal slot 0 in the under side of the extension 0 said slot terminating in a hole or opening a", passing rearwardly up therefrom and through the upper surface of the connecting-piece,

IIC

through which hole the end of the wire may be passed, as best shown in Fig. 1, thus afiording a secure connection and means for taking up slack wire. If desired, the lower edges of the slot 0 may be compressed or closed around the wire, as is commonly done in trolley-wire supports. The strain of the wire bthus tends to force the supported member of the coupling into firm engagement with the surface a of the supporting member while, in the form shown in the figures above referred to, the hook portion 0 co-operating with the bolt a", forms an additional security against displacement of the members of the coupling when in their coupling position. If, however, the wire breaks or is purposely severed, as when it is necessary to get it out of the way in case of fi're or for any other reason, the severed ends drop to the ground, carrying the supported member of the coupling from its longitudinal position toward a vertical position, the said member rocking on the guide-surface in this case, the bolt a engaging with the front inner surface of the hook 0 so that the supporting-surfaces are carried away from each other, as best shown in Fig. 2, while the guide portion or hook, when it reaches the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, slides OK the bolt, and the members become disconnected or uncoupled, permitting the whole section to fall. The hanger a has a straight lower edge, preferably with a thickened and rounded portion a thereon, the said rounded portion being substantially the same size and shape in cross-section as the trolley-wire b and forming a continuous path therewith between the adj acent sections of said wire.

As shown in Fig. 1, the supporting coupling members (in this case the sockets formed by the ears a are on opposite sides of the hanger and that portion of the hanger below the sockets is flattened or made thinner than the rounded portion a, as shown at (1 while the rear portion of the coupling member 0 is also flattened or correspondingly reduced in thickness and adapted to overlap the flattened or reduced portion of the hanger, the thickness of the two overlapping portions together being about the same as the respective thicknesses of the lower edges of the hanger and supported members where they do not overlap. This feature, however, con sisting in reducing the thickness ofthe overlapping portions of the supporting and sup ported members, so that their combined thickness is only about equal to the thickness of the lower edges of the portions that do not overlap, is not essential and is not of itself herein claimed. The hanger affords the electrical connection between the adjacent sections of wire (perfect electrical contact being afforded between the co-operating supporting-surfaces of the coupling members) and consequently there are no breaks whatever in the path of the contact device, the latter being continually in contact with the con ductor, so that no arcing at the points of suspension is possible.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a modification in which the supporting memberof the coupling consists of one socket only, the said socket being substantially the same as those shown in Fig. 1, except that each side thereof affords a supporting-surface, as (t said surfaces being opposed to each other in direction. Both of the coupling members are then inserted into the same socket, as shown in Fig. 6, the lower flattened portions thereof overlapping so as to form a continuous path for the contact device, while the projection on one of said members bears against and is supported by the supporting-surface at one side of the socket, while the other side of the socket forms the support for the other member. The guide-surfaces are formed on one bolt and are separated by the central annular flange or projection at, Fig. 7, said surfaces corresponding to the two separate bolts used in the separate sockets at the ends of the hanger a.- (Shown in Figs. 1 to at.) The top of the socket is provided with a pedestal or support 0 adapted to be connected to the suspender, this form being especially adapted for use with the so-called bracket construction, since it is necessary to have the socket rigidly supported; otherwise a release of the strain at one side of the'socket-as by the uncoupling of a member-might permit the socket to swing toward a horizontal position and uncouple the other member, the same thing occurring at successive supporting-points, so that the whole line would fall.

It is obviously unnecessary in the forms thus far described to provide a special recessed portion, as a for the supported member, since the hook c is adapted to fit closely on the rounded portion of the guide a thus being positively engaged thereby, so that the supported member is guided both to and from its normal horizontal position. It is therefore only necessary to so adjust the two mem bars that the co-operating supporting portions thereofas the lug c and surface at will be in engagement when the supported member is in its final coupled position.

In Fig. 8 another modification is shown, chiefly for the purpose of illustrating the principle upon which the device operates,

this form not being so desirable for practical purposes as that already described. In this case the socket of thesupporting member of the clamp is composed of the upward exten sion a and the downward extension 0. the latter having at its inner edgea recess a, forming the supporting-surface, as before, and co-operating with a lug or extension 0 upon the coupling member 0. The lower portion of the said recess 0. in this case extends about to the center of the lug 0 thus affording an ample vertical support for the same when it is held in contact with the said supporting surface by the strain of the wire b.

In order to insure disengagement of the parts as the coupling member turns from the longitudinal toward the vertical position, a pin a passing transversely through the socket from one side to the other thereof, is engaged by the rear surface of the supported member 0, forming a fulcrumtherefor, equivalent to the bolt (1 above described, the said rear surface being equivalent to the front innersurface of the hook 0 thus causing the lug 0 to swing back out of engagement with the recess a until it gets beyond the under edge thereof, when it will become disengaged and the said supported member will fall to to the ground, as before.

While thespecific form of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is simple and desirable the invention is not limited thereto nor to the modifications herein described, as it is obvious that other modifications might be made in the construction thereof without departing from the invention.

I'claim- 1. In a supporting device for overhead electric conductors, the combination with a supporting coupling member having a transverse extension secured thereto or integral therewith; of a supported coupling member consisting of a longitudinal portion connected with the conductor and in line therewith and an upward extension terminating in a hook adapted to fit the said transverse extension, and an engaging portion of said supported member adapted to engage the supporting member when the longitudinal portion of said supported member is in a substantially horizontal position, substantially as described.

2. In a supporting device for overhead electric conductors, the combination with a supporting coupling member having an upwardly projecting socket open at the sides and bottom and a bolt or rod extending transversely across the said socket, of a supported coupling member adapted to cooperate therewith, said supported member consisting of a longitudinal portion connected to the conductor and in line therewith, an upward ex tension at the end opposite said conductor, alug or projection on the side thereof adapted to engage an edge of the socket of the supporting member, and a hook at the end of said extension adapted to engage the transverse bolt of the supporting member, substantially as described.

3. In a supporting device for overhead electric conductors, the combination with 'a supporting coupling member having an open socket and a mutilated or flattened bolt secured thereto, and extending from one side to the other thereof, of a supported coupling member having a hook adapted to fit the rounded portion of said bolt, the mouth of said hook being smaller than the diameter of such rounded portion, and a lug adapted to engage an edge of said socket, as set forth.

In testimony whereot I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

M ELANGTHON HAN FORD.

W'itnesses:

II. J. Lrvnmronn, M. E. HILL. 

